He swapped Celtic for Newcastle United last summer, but says his first season couldn’t have gone much better.
Speaking to The Chronicle, Stuart Findlay has suggested that he feels vindicated in leaving Celtic for Newcastle United last summer.
The 21-year-old raised eyebrows by leaving the Scottish Premiership champions for what looked to be a bit-part role under Rafael Benitez at Newcastle.
And it was initially, but Findlay made his first-team debut for the Magpies in the FA Cup last and established himself as a key figure for United’s Under-23 side.
With that experience under his belt, the centre-back believes he was right to leave Celtic so far and says that playing in the Premier League would be “massive” next season.
He told The Chronicle: “Last year I was looking at it and assessing things and I think my first year at Newcastle could not really have gone much better,” the Scotland Under-21 international explained.
“I became a mainstay in the Under-23s, I impressed and also I had a great experience making my first-team debut against Birmingham City.
“I don’t think I could have done much more in my first year and now, in my second year, we’ll see what the club have in store for me.
“To play in the Premier League for Newcastle would be massive. Of course it is every player’s dream to play first team at this level and for such a massive club. It was a great opportunity to come here so it’s about grasping it with both hands and seeing how far I can go.”
Celtic, of course, won a domestic treble under Brendan Rodgers last season, without losing a match, but we’ll never know whether Findlay would have played regularly – if at all – under the Northern Irishman.
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